Forrestal v. United States

187 F. Supp. 2d 37, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2530, 2002 WL 257380
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 14, 2002
Docket5:01-cv-00672
StatusPublished

This text of 187 F. Supp. 2d 37 (Forrestal v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Forrestal v. United States, 187 F. Supp. 2d 37, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2530, 2002 WL 257380 (N.D.N.Y. 2002).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

MUNSON, Senior District Judge.

Petitioner moves pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, to vacate, set aside or correct his sentence of imprisonment. Although petitioner has been released from custody, he still meets the “in custody” requirement of § 2255. On April 20, 1999, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, before the Honor *39 able Howard G. Munson, petitioner pleaded guilty to a single count of an indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. He received a sentence of 18 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. No appeals were taken by petitioner.

While a completely expired sentence at the time of filing does not meet the “in custody” requirement, Maleng v. Cook, 490 U.S. 488, 491-92, 109 S.Ct. 1923, 1925-26, 104 L.Ed.2d 540 (1989), actual physical imprisonment is not required, so long as a petitioner suffers from substantial restraints not shared by the public generally. Hensley v. Municipal Court, 411 U.S. 345, 351, 93 S.Ct. 1571, 1574-75, 36 L.Ed.2d 294 (1973). In the instant case, upon leaving confinement, petitioner was subject to a three year term of supervised release. Therefore, at the time he filed his petition, he was still “in custody” within the meaning of the statute. Jones v. Cunningham, 371 U.S. 236, 243, 83 S.Ct. 373, 377, 9 L.Ed.2d 285 (1963); Scanio v. United States, 37 F.3d 858, 860 (2d Cir. 1994).

In his § 2255 motion, petitioner challenges the legality of his sentence claiming that his guilty plea was made without full understanding of the nature of the charge and the possible deportation consequences of the plea, and that the plea was obtained in violation of his privilege against self-incrimination and his protection against double jeopardy. Petitioner’s assertions are without merit, and his § 2255 motion will be denied for the reasons hereinafter set forth..

Petitioner’s § 2255 motion is untimely. The Antiterrorism and effective Death Penalty Act (“AEDPA”) imposes a one year limit on the filing of petitions pursuant to the 28 U.S.C. § 2255 statute. Rodriguez v. Artuz, 990 F.Supp. 275, 283 (S.D.N.Y.1998). The limitation period begins to run from the latest of:

(1) the date on which the judgment of conviction becomes final;

(2) the date upon which the impediment created by governmental action in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States is removed, if the movant was prevented from making a motion by such government action;

(3) the date on which the right asserted was initially recognized by the Supreme Court, if that right has been newly recognized by the Supreme Court and made retroactively applicable on collateral review; or

(4) the date on which the facts supporting the claim or claims presented could have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence.

It is apparent that the limitations question in the instant case is only concerned with # 1 above, the date on which petitioner’s judgment of conviction became final. There is no question that the one year limitation period for bringing a § 2255 motion in this case expired at least six months before petitioner filed his § 2255 motion on May 9, 2001. Petitioner pleaded guilty on September 10, 1999, and judgment of conviction was entered on October 26, 1999. A notice of appeal was not filed with the district court within 10 days of the entry of judgment of conviction, making it final on November 6, 1999, and the one year limitation period expired on November 5, 2001.

The Second Circuit has adopted the doctrine of equitable tolling in the context of AEDPA’s state of limitations provisions. Smith v. McGinnis, 208 F.3d 13, 17 (2d Cir.2000). In order to equitably toll the one year period of limitations, petitioner *40 must show that extraordinary circumstances prevented him from filing his or her petition on time. Id. However, only those situations where the unavailability of § 2255 would raise serious constitutional questions is § 2255 deemed inadequate to test the legality of a prisoner’s detention. Denying petitioner’s collateral review where § 2255 is unavailable because of her failure to abide by the statute of limitations provision, does not raise any serious constitutional questions. Triestman v. United States, 124 F.3d 361, 377 (2d Cir. 1997).

As pointed out above, petitioner did not make a direct appeal of his conviction following his guilty plea. “A motion under 2255 is not a substitute for an appeal.” United States v. Munoz, 143 F.3d 632, 637 (2d Cir.1998); Bousley v. United States, 523 U.S. 614, 118 S.Ct. 1604, 1610, 140 L.Ed.2d 828 (1998)(“and even the voluntariness and intelligence of a guilty plea can be attacked on collateral review only if first challenged on direct review.”). Where a criminal defendant has procedurally defaulted his claim by failing to raise it on direct review, the claim may be raised in a § 2255 motion only if the defendant can demonstrate either: (1) “cause for failing to raise the issue, and prejudice resulting therefrom,” Douglas v. United States, 13 F.3d 43, 46 (2d Cir.1993): or (2) “actual innocence.” Bousley, 118 S.Ct. at 1611.

To establish cause, petitioner must show that some objective external factor impeded his ability to take a direct appeal, and neither petitioner’s failure to appeal because “he thought it was in my best interest to leave the verdict as is,” (Petitioner’s motion papers p. 4, at (6)(d)), nor a waiver of the right to appeal in a plea agreement constitute such an impediment. United States v. Pipitone, 67 F.Sd 34, 39 (2d Cir.1995); Murray v. Carrier, 477 U.S. 478, 488, 106 S.Ct. 2639, 91 L.Ed.2d 397 (1986); Garcia-Santos v. United States, 273 F.3d 506, 508 (2d Cir. 2001).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jones v. Cunningham
371 U.S. 236 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Brady v. United States
397 U.S. 742 (Supreme Court, 1970)
Arnott v. United States
464 U.S. 948 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Murray v. Carrier
477 U.S. 478 (Supreme Court, 1986)
United States v. Broce
488 U.S. 563 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Maleng v. Cook
490 U.S. 488 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Bousley v. United States
523 U.S. 614 (Supreme Court, 1998)
United States v. Leonard James and Otto Sebold
609 F.2d 36 (Second Circuit, 1979)
United States v. Paul Arnott
704 F.2d 322 (Sixth Circuit, 1983)
United States v. Monica Joyce Campbell
778 F.2d 764 (Eleventh Circuit, 1985)
Donovan Douglas v. United States
13 F.3d 43 (Second Circuit, 1993)
Charles D. Scanio v. United States
37 F.3d 858 (Second Circuit, 1994)
United States v. Daniel Mortimer
52 F.3d 429 (Second Circuit, 1995)
Ben Gary Triestman v. United States
124 F.3d 361 (Second Circuit, 1997)
United States v. Juan R. Munoz, A/K/A John Doe 1
143 F.3d 632 (Second Circuit, 1998)
Ricardo Garcia-Santos v. United States
273 F.3d 506 (Second Circuit, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 F. Supp. 2d 37, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2530, 2002 WL 257380, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/forrestal-v-united-states-nynd-2002.